Conditions of the Heart
by V. Tsai
Summary: In which Lucy is a wreck, Mirajane is furious, and Natsu is dead. Natsu x Lucy, quick oneshot.


Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia. The new golden couple of Fairy Tail.

Mirajane Strauss was definitely proud. Even if the other guild members didn't know about what role she had played in their relationship, _she _had been the one who had made Natsu realize his feelings for Lucy, and _she _had been the one to orchestrate the dramatic job that had almost stolen Lucy's life.

As according to the Take Over mage's plan, Natsu had rescued Lucy in the nick of time and had ended up confessing while Lucy was injured and he had thought he almost lost her. The Celestial Spirit mage had admitted to reciprocating his feelings and thus a beautiful relationship had begun.

The barmaid sighed dreamily, wiping a glass. A week had passed since then, and she had yet to come off her exuberant high from the success of her matchmaking. It was the best feeling.

Mirajane was pulled from her thoughts as the tavern's door flew open and in walked the female half of the aforementioned golden couple. But for some reason, Lucy wasn't looking her best... her side ponytail had fallen at least six inches, dragging against the crooked strap of her low-cut pink tank top, which, to be honest, did not match her plaid skirt in the least.

The celestial spirit mage dragged herself up to the bar, falling onto a stool. Up close, Mirajane noticed how her eyes were underscored with dark circles, and her slender, delicate fingers were shaking as she heaved herself into a sitting position.

"Lucy?" Mirajane asked cautiously, setting down the glass.

Cana, who was sitting a couple feet away on a nearby barstool, glanced over coincidentally and immediately did a double take. Frowning, she slid over, pulling her barrel of beer with her, and asked, "Lucy, what happened?"

"Huh?" The blonde blinked as if waking up for the first time. Turning her head, she observed Mirajane and Cana's disturbed, concerned expressions. "What, why do you ask? I'm... fine."

Levy, who had just walked through the guild doors, suddenly appeared at Lucy's side. "Lu-chan, look, I brought the next..." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Lucy's haggard experience. "What's wrong?"

Blinking fast (and only drawing attention to her red eyes), Lucy forced a light laugh. "N-Nothing's wrong, you guys."

"Lucy," Mirajane said in a dangerous tone. She was not liking the way Lucy was dodging the question, because it was leading her to think that it had something to do with a pink-haired dragon slayer...

Her suspicion was confirmed when Lucy let out a loud sigh, crumpling over the bar. "Yesterday night... we went to dinner." She hesitated, and Mirajane fought the urge to panic. It was plainly obvious who the other half of "we" was.

Levy and Cana leaned in, wearing matching expressions. "Go on."

"Natsu... well, afterward... he just..." Lucy stammered illiterately.

"Take your time," Mirajane insisted. Her perfect couple was crumpling before her eyes.

Lucy looked up to meet the anxious faces of her friends. "When we got back to my apartment, that's when it started. It hurt so much..." A small sob escaped her throat before she composed herself. "I... he apologized and all, but it _really _hurt."

When it looked like the blonde was nearing a halt, Mirajane leaned in. "Go on," she urged.

"I - I told him that it wasn't his fault, of course, but it obviously was. I mean, he didn't even consider how it might hurt me. I thought he knew..." She bit her lower lip. "I was up all night after he left. It just... wouldn't go away." Her breath hitched. "It felt like my - I think my heart must be broken."

That was the last straw for Mirajane. Her eyes darkening, she turned and stormed from the guild, radiating anger that hinted at a Take-Over, God help any poor pink-haired dragon slayer who had the misfortune to not be living in another galaxy.

Back at the bar, Lucy looked confused. "Where's she going?" she asked, turning to look at Cana and Levy.

"To beat up Natsu, of course!" Cana shrieked shrilly, waving her beer barrel rather violently. "How _dare _he break up with you!"

"You two are perfect for each other!" wailed Levy. "How could this happen?!"

Perplexed, Lucy glanced from one to another. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh?" Levy looked at her friend, now also puzzled. "Didn't he break up with you last night?"

"While he did make the mistake of taking me to a restaurant whose coffee, lemon-roasted salmon, and chocolate parfait caused me to get heartburn, I don't think he broke up with me," said a rapidly blinking Lucy. "Wait, what did you guys think happened?"

Cana and Levy could only look away, praying for Natsu Dragneel to live another day.

* * *

**Not my usual fandom, I know. But I found this in my Evernote account, read it, cried at my terrible attempt at humor, and thought I might post it. **

**And for any DC readers who might be reading this for some reason, I'm still on hiatus, although I've currently got a terrible idea that won't go away, so maybe I'll write it out. Don't expect too much, though. Laters! ~V. Tsai**


End file.
